Enjoy a fun festival for people of all ages, page 133

Take a look inside a lifelong home, page 28

Enjoy a fun festival for people of all ages, page 133

WHERE WE LIVE

COMMUNITIES FOR ALL AGES

Enjoy a fun festival for people of all ages, page 133

Take a look inside a lifelong home, page 28

Enjoy a fun festival for people of all ages, page 133

WHERE WE LIVE

From the introduction of Where We Live: Communities for All Ages—100+ Inspiring Ideas from America’s Community Leaders, the second book in the AARP Where We Live series

“Whatever our age, we all want the same things: safe, a�ordable housing and transportation options; good health for ourselves, our loved ones and our environment; opportunities to learn, support our families and enjoy our lives; a connection with our neighbors and a government that is responsive to our needs.”

Praise for Where We Live: Communities for All Ages—100+ Inspiring Ideas from America’s Mayors, the first book in the AARP Where We Live series

“Where We Live provides an organized set of ideas to spark change in communities across the country. This book shows how mayors in cities big, small, rural and urban have found countless ways to improve their communities for their aging population and all residents.”

—Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

“I commend Nancy LeaMond and AARP for writing Where We Live. This book should inspire mayors and other leaders to launch new projects to improve their communities for all of their residents.”

—Michael Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

WHERE YOU LIVE COULD BE FEATURED IN THE NEXT

EDITION OF WHERE WE LIVETell us about your community’s

inspiring livability work. Visit AARP.org/SharingLivableSolutions.

BY Nancy LeaMond AARP EXECUT IVE V ICE PRES IDENT, COMMUNITY, STATE AND NAT IONAL AFFAIRS • ED ITED BY MEL ISSA STANTON

WHERE WE LIVE100+INSPIRING IDEAS FROM AMERICA’SCOMMUNITY LEADERS

COMMUNITIESFOR ALL AGES

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2017 EDITION

FEATURING EXAMPLES FROM ALL 50 STATES!

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A A R P | W H E R E W E L I V E

FREE TUITION FOR COLLEGE SENIORS MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLANDMontgomery College

It’s back to school for Beth and Sam Steel. He’s studying Introduction to Music Technology. She’s taking Water Exercise in the six-lane indoor swimming pool. Both are several decades older than most or all of their classmates.

As part of its Senior Tuition WaiverProgram, Montgomery College, the coun-ty’s highly ranked community college, ena-bles Marylanders age 60 and older to enroll in credit classes but pay only the fees—no tuition. (The caveats: The applicants must register online in the final three days of a registration period and can join a class only if there is room.)

Fees for classes are typically $7 to $10 per noncredit teaching hour, usually less for credit courses. For example, after a one-time application fee, in-county tuition for Beth’s water exercise class is normally $122, and fees are $67. So Beth’s bill for the class is $67.

The tuition waivers can also be used for certain noncredit workforce-development and continuing education classes, and classes in the college’s Life-long Learning Institute, which is aimed at students age 50 and older. The college’s three campuses and satellites have served almost 60,000 students. In fiscal year 2016, nearly 3,400 older residents received a tuition waiver.

The classes most popular among older stu-dents include art, archaeology, literature, lan-guages, information technology, history, politics, music, personal finance and wellness. Many are taking courses in order to upgrade their skills to continue working.

The older students “serve as role models for younger students in their commitment to lifelong learning and in their study habits,” says Natasha Sacks, program director at the Lifelong Learning Institute. “They enrich classroom discussions with their experiences and serve as advocates and champions of the college in the community.”

Montgomery County is a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities ■

Montgomery College’s Lifelong Learning Institute enables older students (like Roger Karr, pictured in an archaeology class) to enroll in courses for discounted prices.